‘I’d like to thank the academy, my mom and my insurance carrier’ p2

Sometimes it feels as if movie credits are longer than the movie. The cast, the best boy, the star’s hairdresser, the director’s assistant, the songs and their performers, all the locations — it is a little overwhelming, and most people walk out well before the last credit rolls.

But on the next hot Miami afternoon that finds you hiding out in your local multiplex, watch the credits through. Is there an insurance company on the list? There really should be, because you can’t swing a stuffed cat on a movie set without hitting some kind of risk.

If you follow the movie industry, you may be familiar with the “temperamental” star who locks himself in his trailer until some condition is met. In movies about movies, at least, the producer is up in arms about how much the delay will cost. What he should be asking is, did I remember to buy insurance to cover these delays?

In a big budget film, any kind of delay in production can run to $250,000 per day. When you think about it, a production delay is like a business interruption, so it should be insurable. In the movies, it’s called “cast coverage,” and it generally covers things like illness, injury or death of an actor. Chances are good the insurer would deny a claim for jail, rehab or a temper tantrum.

In our last post, we touched on the need for property insurance. In the movies, there are two categories of property that are eligible for coverage: stuff in front of the camera and stuff behind the camera. In front of the camera would include props, costumes and sets. Behind the camera would include damage to or loss of cameras, sound equipment, lighting and so forth.